In a large bowl, using a potato masher, break up the halvah and combine it with the yogurt.Add the orange flower water and sugar, beating it very well with a whisk or wooden spoon until the mixture is free of any lumps.It will look a mess initially, but slowly come together. Set aside.

In a separate, medium bowl, whisk the heavy cream until it becomes thick and billowy but not peaked.Beat the cream into the halvah mixture.Again, it will initially not appear to mix well, but consistent beating will create a smooth and luxurious texture. Pour the mixture into a container, cover securely, and place in the freezer at least six hours before scooping. (I used mini silicone muffin molds to shape each individual serving, covering the molds with foil before freezing. Bending the "tin" back and pushing on the bottom of each mold popped the servings out fairly easily.)

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil.Simmer ten minutes. Remove cardamom pods. Allow to fully cool before garnishing the frozen halvah.Scatter a few pistachio nuts on each serving if desired. Serves at least 8. --

28 comments:

This dish looks amazing! The food presentation is so gorgeous that I almost tried to eat the photo, haha ... I have never heard of halvah until I read your post, good to learn something new everyday, hee ;)

Most popular Halwa in Indian is Gajar (Carrot) Halwa, I bet Vanilla halwa Ice Cream tastes great!:)To top with poached Apricot and Pistachios is Heaven!I will be on blog break from Friday until September. My last post coming tomorrow, need a long break!:D

What a coincidence , yesterday I saw halvah , and I though: "Buy or not buy?? I didn't, tomorrow ....will be another day :).I love , love the recipe. For tomorrow holyday, Argentine independence day,I know what dessert I provably made

Your sentence "If you love halvah, you will understand" absolutely made my day, because I understand!!! :-) Halvah ice cream sounds like the best thing ever - the merging of my two favorite desserts! Wow!

Wiffy – Thanks! If you love sesame seeds, think of them as very finely crushed, almost to a powder, the natural oils intact. Then add a cooked sugar syrup or honey and let it cool in blocks. The texture and flavor are amazing. --Sra – Vanilla is sesame halvah with vanilla flavoring added. You can also get it chocolate flavored or a swirl of both vanilla and chocholate. So different from Indian halwa, isn’t it?--Dhanggit – Thanks. I’m sure the Mediterranean appreciates desserts on the other side of the sea. So much of southern Europe is influenced by northern Africa. Glad you like the apricots; they took backlighting very well.--Asha – I *love* Indian carrot halwa, so different from the sesame kind. Enjoy your break. You know where we are when you come back.--Thanks, Ricki – If fats are not on your OK list, this isn’t going to work for you, but poached apricots with a sprinkling of orange flower water and, perhaps, honey would make a lovely summer dessert in its own right.--Hi, Fearless Kitchen! Thanks. One of the easier ice creams ever. No need for special churning machines.--Thanks, Katie. As much as I love peaches, apricots have their own place in the exalted world of golden summer fruit.--Coco – TA!--Thank you, sweet Simona. --Lisa – Thanks. Bliss, indeed. I was about to resort to making my own (I had the tahini and other ingredients on hand, but humid summer temps are a terrible time to play with cooked sugar). I wound up finding it in a supermarket that caters to a large Hasidic community in the area.--Krystyna – Thank you so much! Good to see you.--Jeena – Thanks! So you know what I’m talking about. : ) The dish is from Tunisia, something I picked up in my travels last year in New England. I really adore its design.--Hi, Holler! You can also just break it apart and eat it plain, it is *that* exotically yummy.--Lydia – Homemade halvah was always available in huge cones that the Middle Eastern shopkeepers would cut from and weigh for you. Then there were the Joyva bars at the Jewish delis….--Good to see you, Sylvia! I hope you enjoy it.--Suganya – I just emailed you with particulars. Orange flower water is far more floral than it is citrusy. A bit of an acquired taste, but there’s a chance that if you enjoy rosewater and kewra, you will like this, too.--Jeanne – Thanks! Apricots and pistachios do go so well together. I regret not picking up more of the Tunisian ceramics when I happened upon them.--Hey, Astra! Kindred halvah spirits, you and I. Thanks!--Kelly-Jane – Thanks. Good to see you. Hope you are well.--Lori-Lynn – The only reason to stop eating halvah is the mega caloric content. Even so, who could resist a little crumbling cube of it? Glad you like this recipe. Thanks!--Hi, Rosa. Thank you so much. “Drool” is the ideal compliment.:)--Lucy – Thanks. Stained glass is exactly what I was thinking when I was reviewing the shots. Late in the day the sun settled exactly behind them. Good timing. --Susan – Halvah is easy to love.--Bee – It’s *too* good. And it scoops like a dream if you choose not to use molds.--Thanks, Maybelles Parents. : )--We Are Never Full – Thanks. Fresh apricots are many times mealy, watery, sour and flavorless. They can be poached, but only very lightly. It was a personal choice to use the semi-soft dried ones. They are usually imported from the Middle East and have excellent quality.--Thanks, Jude! Glad you understand. ; )

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I cook and bake in that cute little galley kitchen up there. It's not as tidy as it used to be, and the walls are a deep tagine red now, but it's a cozy, homey space where you are always welcome to drop in. You can reach me at thewellseasonedcook AT yahoo DOT com. I'd be delighted to hear from you.